By: Dionte Daniel,  Staff Writer  

The sound of the ball connecting with the bat bounced around Minute Maid Park. Gabriel Burns looked up to see where the ball would land before he knew he was about to watch a home run. 

 “Oh my God,” Burns spoke aloud from inside the press box. Jorge Soler ended up hitting a three-run home run in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series. The ball soared out of the stadium as the Atlanta Braves cruised to their first World Series win in 26 years. 

 Burns, now a sports and features writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, spent time with The Spectator covering a variety of sports stories. 

 “When I first met him, he had just switched from being a music major to journalism,” Ted Geltner, professor of the journalism program at Valdosta State University, said. “Gabriel showed a lot of potential right away.” 

 Before reporting on baseball’s biggest stage, Burns joined The Spectator as a staff writer and worked his way up to sports editor and editor in chief. 

 “Once I switched my major to sports journalism, I jumped right into it,” Burns said. “Having mentors like Ted Geltner pushing me along the way helped me understand how to write feature stories.” 

 He said he learned quickly that games are more than play-by-play breakdowns of a sport. 

 “You think you’re just writing about what happened,” Burns said. “But then you realize people want to know why something happened. What makes these players tick?”  

 Burns said he was able to apply that philosophy to any sport he covered. 

 “Whether it was volleyball or golf or NASCAR, you’re able to cover it all,” Burns said. “You’re learning every day. Sometimes you have to teach yourself the sport you’re covering.” 

 Burns also worked at the Valdosta Daily Times before making the jump to the AJC as an intern. From there, Burns worked his way up to Braves beat writer and now writes features for the paper. 

 He’s covered everything from the Braves’ championship run to The University of Georgia football’s national championships to big storylines in professional and collegiate sports. 

 “It also helps that you get experience right away at a school like VSU,” Geltner said. “At larger programs, you might have to wait your turn to write about the sports you love. Here, you can just do it.”  

 For Burns, he said it’s about continuing to produce strong work. 

 “I think it’s chasing down that story,” Burns said. “Networking and building relationships with people in this industry is huge. As long as you’re consistent, you’ll be successful.” 

 If Burns’ career is any example, students should continue to take advantage of their opportunities no matter the platform. You never know who will be watching when you’re chasing that next story.